inflate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to distend; swell or puff out; dilate.
The king cobra inflates its hood.
- Antonyms:
- deflate
-
to cause to expand or distend with air or gas.
to inflate a balloon.
-
to puff up with pride, satisfaction, etc.
-
to elate.
-
Economics. to expand (money, prices, an economy, etc.) unduly in amount, value, or size; affect with inflation.
verb (used without object)
-
to become inflated.
-
to increase, especially suddenly and substantially.
The $10 subscription has inflated to $25.
verb
-
to expand or cause to expand by filling with gas or air
she needed to inflate the tyres
-
(tr) to cause to increase excessively; puff up; swell
to inflate one's opinion of oneself
-
(tr) to cause inflation of (prices, money, etc)
-
(tr) to raise in spirits; elate
-
(intr) to undergo economic inflation
Related Words
See expand.
Other Word Forms
- inflatedly adverb
- inflatedness noun
- inflater noun
- inflator noun
- overinflate verb (used with object)
- reinflate verb
Etymology
Origin of inflate
First recorded in 1500–20; from Latin inflātus, past participle of inflāre “to blow on or into, puff out,” equivalent to in- in- 2 + flā- blow 2 + -tus past participle suffix
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In later rounds of financing, she allegedly inflated the revenue for that year to $6.8 million.
From Los Angeles Times
Her inflated self-esteem is a force of nature never wielded unkindly, unless provoked.
From Salon
Howell and his worker, then based in Palm Beach, Fla., had inflated their clients’ write-offs and fabricated expenses for years, prosecutors alleged in the indictment.
From MarketWatch
Investors remain worried about whether Big Tech valuations are inflated relative to “what they’re actually worth,” he added.
From MarketWatch
On Thursday, Kaley said she inflated the number of ‘likes’ on her posts, “because it made me look popular.”
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
